Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 2.5/5 Released: August 14, 2007 Reviewer: David Coats |
Sliding in under the summer music release radar is Best Friends In Love, the debut record by Oakland, California duo Bang Lime, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott Key, most famous for their roles as bassist and drummer, respectively, in Canadian indie-rock darlings Metric.
It becomes clear very early that Bang Lime really wants to pick up where Death From Above 1979 left off, a risk, considering that everything about DFA’s concept looked wrong on paper. As a two-piece, the band sounds simple and thin, but remains heavy enough to move through with hurricane force. Standout ‘The Death Of Death’ borrows obviously DFA rhythmically and vocally, and contains the record’s best melodies, but songs such as ‘Free White & 21’ and ‘All Wars’ rely too much on the same sonic landscape – three minutes worth of blistering no-frills indie rock, muted guitars more scratchy and loud than melodic.
The songs really have no changes in dynamics, leading to the last twenty seconds or so of ‘Equator,’ for instance, degenerating into random, spirited noise. The record is well mixed and produced, but even when the songs have some variety, the output of the instruments (guitars, especially) sound the same, though the song structures do become more adventurous as the record moves along, and the riffs become more anthemic. Give the band credit, though, for achieving White Stripes levels of danger, using only one percussive and one melodic instrument; unfortunately, the songs and overall creativity don’t rival Jack White’s. In spite of the adequate guitar work, energetic and pulsating drumming, and able vocal delivery, the songs simply don’t have enough instrumental meat on the bones.
Best Friends In Love has its moments, and while it does grow on you, it remains too one-dimensional to work in greater than small doses. Bang Lime’s musical power is better suited as a compliment to their day-job band.
